Harris County, Texas Genealogy
(Redirected from Harris County, Texas)
Guide to Harris County, Texas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information
Description
The county was named for John Richardson Harris, who founded the town of Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou in 1826. The county is located in the east-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse
Harris County Courthouse
201 Caroline St
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 713-755-7300
Harris County Website
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage and land records from 1836, probate records from late 1800’s, court records from 1920’s and immigration records 1880-1890.
District Clerk has divorce records.[2]
Harris County, Texas Record Dates
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1836 | 1903 | 1837 | 1836 | 1831 | 1829 |
Record Loss
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
|
Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
±Water surface only; land in adjacent county
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Sources
- At Rest: A Historical Directory of Harris County, Texas Cemeteries (1822-2001) Including Burial Customs and Other Interesting Facts, With a Listing of Past and Present Communities, Funeral Homes and Monument Companies, by Trevia Wooster Beverly,Houston: Tejas Publications & Research, c. 1995; 2001.
- Houston Texas Death Records Webpage
- 1895-2008 Texas, Houston, Historic Hollywood Cemetery Records, 1895-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 4,668 | — |
| 1860 | 9,070 | 94.3% |
| 1870 | 17,375 | 91.6% |
| 1880 | 27,985 | 61.1% |
| 1890 | 37,249 | 33.1% |
| 1900 | 63,786 | 71.2% |
| 1910 | 115,693 | 81.4% |
| 1920 | 186,667 | 61.3% |
| 1930 | 359,328 | 92.5% |
| 1940 | 528,961 | 47.2% |
| 1950 | 806,701 | 52.5% |
| 1960 | 1,243,158 | 54.1% |
| 1970 | 1,741,912 | 40.1% |
| 1980 | 2,409,547 | 38.3% |
| 1990 | 2,818,199 | 17.0% |
| 2000 | 3,400,578 | 20.7% |
| 2010 | 4,092,459 | 20.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
- See Texas Church Records for more information.
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
- Christian Church Directory for Texas at ChurchFinder
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Court Records
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
- See Texas Land and Property for more information.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Harris County and may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information.
- See Texas Local Histories for more information.
- Houston Public Library/Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research
- Texas Indexes (about 20 counties) at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county
Maps and Gazetteers
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- 1897 Map of 1897 Harris County, Texas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Military Records
Texas Revolution
- 1835 - 1845 Index to the Military Rolls of the Republic of Texas 1835-1845 at Texas State Historical Association
- 1838-1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Mexican-American War
- 1845-1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War at Ancestry — index ($)
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Texas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images at partner site
- 1861-1865 Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images at partner site
World War I
- 1917-1920 Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- Houston Chronicle Newspaper
- Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Texas newspapers including Galveston from the early 1800's.
- Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
- 1800s-Current Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Probate records of Texas counties were kept by the probate clerk, usually in "probate minutes."
- See Texas Probate Records for more information.
- 1800-1990 Texas Probate Records, 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
- 1800-2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
- Rice University Yearbooks: 1916-1935
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
- See Texas Taxation for more information.
- 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — index & images
Vital Records
Vital Records of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths were recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. Copies can be obtained from the County Clerk's office, or order certified copies online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. See Texas Vital Records for more information.
Birth
- 1840-1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1874-Onward Texas, Harris County Births at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1903-1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Key to Texas County Codes; Also at: Ancestry ($)
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926-1995 at MyHeritage — index ($)
Marriage
- 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
- 1814-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1837-1965 Texas Marriages, 1837-1965 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1837-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1837-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1837-1973 Texas Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1944-Onward Texas, Harris County Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
Death
- 1890-1976 Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1902-Onward Texas, Harris County Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1903-1973 Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1964-1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1977-1986 Texas Deaths, 1977-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Divorce
- 1968-2010 Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities
Archives
FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Houston Texas FamilySearch Center
- Melbourne Texas FamilySearch Center
- Richmond Texas FamilySearch Center
- Shadowdale Texas FamilySearch Center
- Houston Public Library Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research - an affiliate library
Libraries
- Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research
5300 Caroline
Houston, TX
Website
Museums
Societies
- Baytown Historical Preservation Association
P.O. Box 1244
Baytown, TX 77522-1244
Phone: 281-421-2099
Email: Info@baytownhistory.org
Website - Harris County Historical Society
P.O. Box 55776
Houston, TX 77501
Phone: 832-839-0560
Email: harriscountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website - The Humble Area Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2723
Humble, TX 77347-2723
Website - West Houston Area Genealogy Socciety
P.O. Box 842661
Houston, TX 77284-2661
Email: Info@whags.email
Websites
- Harris TX GenWeb, part of TX GenWeb
- Harris USGWArchives part of USGWArchives Texas Counties
- Frontier Times Magazine
- Historic Texas
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides
References
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Harris County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_County,_Texas. accessed 10/01/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Harris County, Texas. Page 665 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Harris County, Texas . Page 658-677 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 655-665.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Harris County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_County,_Texas, accessed 20 May 2019.